The Little History of the Lombards of Benevento by Erchempert

A Critical Edition and Translation of ‘Ystoriola Longobardorum Beneventum degentium’

Luigi Andrea Berto

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN:
  9781000409284
• Topic: Historia
• Subtopic: Historia del mundo

This volume presents the analysis, English translation, and critical edition of the Latin text of The Little History of the Lombards of Benevento, thus offering an important contribution for a better understanding of early medieval southern Italian (and Mediterranean) history.

In the 840s, having passed the danger of subjugation by Charlemagne, southern Italy's Lombards experienced a bloody civil war that put an end to their unity and turned southern Italy into the playground of several competing powers: Lombard lords, the Neapolitans, the Frankish and the Byzantine Empires, the Muslims, and, sometimes, even the papacy. At the end of the ninth century, the Cassinese monk Erchempert composed a chronicle about this period that blamed the southern Lombard leaders for the terrible crisis of southern Italy. It was Erchempert's desire that future generations could learn from the folly of their forbearers, and his chronicle has since become the most relevant source for southern Italy between the 770s and the 880s.

The book will appeal to scholars and students of chronicles, Lombards, Franks, Byzantines, and Muslims in early medieval Italy, as well as all those interested in medieval Europe.

Erchempertus, Ystoriola Longobardorum Beneventum degentium

[1.] Langobardorum seriem, egressum situmque regni, hoc est originem eorum, vel quomodo de Scandanavia^a insula egressi ad Pannoniam, iterum a Pannonia Italiam transmigraverint regnumque susceperint, Paulus, vir valde peritus, compendiosa licet brevitate set prudenti composuit ratione,^b extendens nichilominus a Gammara et duobus liberis eius ystoriam Ratchis^c pene usque regnum. In his autem non frustra exclusit etas^d loquendi, quoniam in eis Langobardorum desiit regnum; // (f. 107^r) mos etenim hystoriographi doctoris est, maxime de sua stirpe disputantis, ea tantummodo retexere que ad laudis cumulum pertinere noscuntur. Ultimo autem, compulsus a compluribus, ego Erchempert quasi ab ortu^e precipueque ab Adelgiso,^f insigni sagacique viro,^g ystoriolam condere Longobardorum^h Beneventum degentium, de quibus, quia his diebus nil dignum ac laudabile repperitur quod veraci valeat stilo exarari, idcirco non regnumⁱ eorum, sed excidium, non felicitatem, sed miseriam, non triumphum, sed perniciem, non quemamodum profecerint, sed qualiter defecerint,^j non quomodo alios superaverint, sed quomodo superati ab aliis ac devicti fuerint. Ex intimo corde ducens alta suspiria, ad posteritatis exemplum succinto^k licet et inerti prosequar calamo.^l Hac quaque^m flagitationeⁿ devictus, non tantum ea que oculis, sed magis que auribus^o ausi narrare me fateor, imitans ex parte dumtaxat Marci Luceque evangelistarum preconiis, qui auditu potius^a quam visu^b evangelia descripserunt.

aScandana via V.

bracione V.

cRacchis V.

de tas V. aetas Waitz.

eabortu V.

fAlgelgiso V.

gvirum Waitz.

hLangobardorum Waitz.

iregenenīum V. regimen Waitz.

jV adds ce to deferint interlineally.

ksuccincto Waitz.

lcalomo V.

mquoque Waitz.

nflagitacione V.

oV adds u to airbus interlineally.

apocius V.

bV deletes s after auditu and visu.

[2.] Igitur capta ac subiugata Carlo Italia, Pipinum filium suum illuc regem constituit atque ille^c stipatus innumerabili exercituum agmine crebrius Beneventum adiit capessendam. Quo tempore Arichis, gener iam fati Desiderii, vir christianissimus et valde illustris atque in rebus bellicis strenuissimus, Beneventi^d ducatum regebat. Qui audiens eos super se adventare, Neapolitis,^e qui a Langobardis diutina oppressione fatigati erant, pacem cessit eisque diaria in Liburia^f et Cimiterio per incolas^g sancita^h dispensione misericordie vice distribuit, titubans, ut conici valet, ne ab eorum versutiis Franci aditum introeundi Beneventum repperirent. Super Beneventum autem Gallico exercitu <perveniente>,ⁱ predictus Arichis viribus quibus valuit primo fortiter restitit, postremo autem, acriter preliantibus, universa ad instar locustarum radice te//(f. 107^v)nus corrodentibus, magis civium saluti quam liberorum affectibus consulens, geminas soboles vice pigneris iam dicto tradidit cesari, hoc est Grimoaldum et Adelchisam, simulque cunctum thesaurum suum. Ex quibus Adelchisa multis cum precibus^j proprio restituta suo^k genitori, Grimoaldum vero secum remeans detulit Aquo,^l collata Arichis pace sub federe pensionis.

ccumque illo Waitz.

dBeneventum Waitz.

eV corrects to Neapolitis. Neapolitibus Waitz.

fLiguria V Waitz.

gV adds s to incola interlineally.

hsancitam Waitz.

iAnother hand adds perveniente on the margin of the folium.

jmulta cum prece Waitz.

kIn V after su, there is a letter that cannot be read. suum Waitz.

lAquis Waitz.

[3.] Nanctus itaque hanc occasionem et, ut ita dicam, Francorum territus metu, inter Lucaniam et Nuceriam, urbem munitissimam ac precelsam in modum tutissimi castri idem Arichis opere mirifico muniret,^m queⁿ propter mare conticuum, quod salum appellatur, et ob rivum, ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• List of abbreviations
• Introduction
• Appendix A
• Appendix B
• Appendix C
• Genealogy of the Capuan dynasty
• Bibliography
• Erchempert, Little History of the Lombards of Benevento
• Erchempertus, Ystoriola Longobardorum Beneventum degentium
• Index